Driving tool



3 Sheets-Sheet l W. E. SCHULZ DRIVING TOOL Dec. 13, 1960 Filed Nov. 18, 1954 :Inventor mit.; Lr

Dec. 13, 1960 w. E. scHuLz DRIVING TOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NGV. 18, 1954 Dec. 13, 1960 w. E. scHuLz DRIVING TOOL 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 18, 1954 2,963,707 Patented Dec. 13, 1960 DRIVING TOOL Walter E. Schulz, Goethestr. 44, Wulfrath, Rhineland, Germany Filed Nov. 18, 1954, Ser. No. 469,747

Claims priority, application Germany Nov. 24, 1953 2 Claims. (Cl. 1-106) The present invention relates to driving tools for driving studs, nails or the like into walls, metal plates etc. and, more particularly, concerns a safety arrangement for such driving tools.

With driving tools of the above mentioned type it is desirable `and in most countries required that such driving tools be provided with safety means preventing an unintended firing when the trigger is accidentally contacted.

In addition thereto, it is also desirable that the driving tool will not fire when subjected to an accidental shock as for instance when the driving tool accidentally drops fro-m the work bench to the floor. Safety regulations of most countries furthermore require that the driving tool be so designed that a firing can be effected only when the barrel mouth is pressed against a xed surface. Some countries furthermore require that the operation of the driving tool can be effected only by using both hands to insure that the operator when firing will not have one hand in the path of the barrel mouth.

It has been suggested heretofore in connection with driving tools to provide a control mechanism by means of which a displacement or rotation of the barrel is possible in order to open up an additional space between the cartridge chamber and the barrel into which space powder gases may enter to thereby vary the driving force. With these driving tools, it would, however, be possible through windows provided in the casing for adjusting the driving force, to arrest the barrel in the pushed-inward position and to fire without pressing the barrel mouth against a xed surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simplified safety mechanism for driving too-ls of the above mentioned type which will meet the above outlined safety requirements and may also be employed in connection with driving tools of the type set forth in the preceding paragraph without the drawback mentioned therein.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a safety arrangement for use in connection with driving tools of the above mentioned character, which will prevent the driving tool from firing accidentally if the barrel should accidentally push against a iixed surface for instance when falling from the work bench onto the floor.

A still further object of this invention consists in providing a safety arrangement as set forth in the two preceding paragraphs which may also be used in connection with driving tools equipped with covering means for covering up the area around the surface into which the stud, nail or the like is to be driven.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates partly in longitudinal section an embodiment of the new driving tool for driving studs, nails or the like into walls, plates, etc., which is equipped with safety arrangements according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows in longitudinal section about the central portion of Fig. 1 but on a larger scale than the latter.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modification of the safety arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal section through the front part of the driving tool of Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate in section a modification of the front part of the tool of Fig. 4 in two different positions.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and Figs. l and 2 thereof in particular, the driving tool illustrated therein is a driving tool with a variable firing power. The driving tool comprises a barrel 1 provided with a threaded portion'Z threaded'ly engaging a correspondingly threaded sleeve 3. As will be evident from the drawing, by screwing the barrel 1 in one or the other direction, the space 4 between the barrel 1 and the cartridge chamber 6e may be varied thereby varying the ring power. In order to allow a proper relative adjustment between the barrel 1 and sleeve 3, the casing 6 surrounding the barrel is provided with a window 5 which latter may be provided with a scale or a mark. In order to allow the tiring of a stud, the barrel mouth must rest against the surface into which the stud is to be driven, and while the barrel 1 together with the sleeve 3 retains its position, the casing 6 must against the thrust of a spring 7 be pushed forwardly as far `as the space 8 between the cartridge chamber 6e and the casing f will allow, said spring 7 being arranged within a cylindrical cutout of the sleeve 3.

in order to prevent the barrel from being improperly retained in the position it occupies when the casing has been pushed forwardly as set forth in the preceding paragraph, e.g. by inserting a tool through window 5, so that the tool could be lifted off the surface against which it rested and be fixed in the manner of a lire arm, a safety mechanism has been provided which will presently be described. This safety mechanism comprises a control sleeve 9 surrounding the casing 6 and the barrel 1, said control sleeve 9 being longitudinally slidably mounted on the casing 6. A latch or locking element, for instance a ball 10, is provided in a corresponding cutout of the casing 6 and partly engages a longitudinal groove 11 the upper end of which has a widened portion 11a. The lower portion of the control sleeve 9 is provided with an annular cutout 11b in which is mounted a spring 13. The upper end of spring 13 engages the upper end of the cutout 11b, whereas the lower end of spring 13 engages a ring 12 which is iixedly connected in any convenient manner to the casing 6. The lower end of the control sleeve 9 is provided with an inwardly directed flange 11C which by engagement with ring 12 limits the upward movement of the control sleeve 9. It will be appreciated that the spring 13 continuously urges the control sleeve 9 to move upwardly into the position shown in Fig. 1. As will be evident from Fig. l, in the position shown therein, the ball 19 is forced to remain in engagement with the cutout 1a in the barrel 1 since the adjacent portion of the longitudinal groove 11 is not wide enough to receive the ball 10. Consequently, when the control sleeve 9 occupies its Fig. 1 position, a displacement of the casing 6 relative to the barrel 1 is not possible. This means that the tool cannot be fixed in these circumstances since, as stated above, prior to tiring the tool, the casing 6 must be moved relative to the barrel. However, if for intentional ring of `the tool the control sleeve 9 is pressed forwardly, i.e. downwardly in Fig. l, against the thrust of spring 13, the widened portion 11a of the groove 11 will register with the cutout 1a in the barrel, and by now pressing the barrel mouth against a xed surface, the ball 10 will be forced into and can enter Ithe widened portion 11a so that the casing 6 can be displaced with respect to the barrel to permit the firing pin to engage the tiring cap, thus bringing about the firing of the driving tool. This `arrangement has the advantage that one hand must hold the driving tool while the other hand must hold the control sleeve 9 in its downwardly pressed position so that both hands are occupied and kept away from the barrel mouth.

While in Connection with Fig.' l reference .has been made to one slot 11 only, it is to be understood that a plurality of slots 11 with cooperating balls 10 and recesses 11n may be provided, with the slots, balls and recesses evenly distributed over the circumference of the barrel 1 and casing 6 and the inner portion of the control sleeve 9.

If no two-hand handling is required by safety regulations, rneans may be provided which will hold Vthe control sleeve 9 in its downwardly pressed position. This may be effected in any convenient manner for instance by a bayonet joint connection 6a, 9a between the control sleeve 9 and the casing 6. Suchan arrangement is shown for instance in Fig. 3.

Referring now to the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, the lower end of the driving toolis provided with a plate 101 which extends around the lower portion of the barrel and takes the place of bell-shaped cups heretofore customary for covering up the area into which the stud, nail or the like is to be driven. Y

The plate 101 is connected to a disc 103 which in its turn is connected to a sleeve 107, for instance by welding. lf desired, sleeve 107 and disc 103 may be integral With each other. Sleeve 107 surrounds the lower portion 104 of barrel 1 and also surrounds a portion of the casing 6 of the driving tool. As stated above, safety requirements demand that the driving tool can be fired only when the barrel is pressed against a fixed support in order to prevent the driving tool from being used as firearm.

In order to prevent a removal of the plate 101, it is desirable that the sleeve 107 be non-detachably connected to the casing 6. On the other` hand, it should be possible to move the sleeve 107 together with the plate 101 in the `direction of the arrow Z (Fig. 4) during the normal handling of the tool so that the point of the wall or the like where the stud or nail is to be driven into the wall, can be clearly viewed and the barrel can be aimed accordingly prior to firing the driving tool. To this end, the casing 6 is provided with an annular groove 109, whereas the upper end of the sleeve 107 has an inwardly directed flange 110 which may be obtained for instance by welding in a corresponding ring. The bore of the flange 110 is such that during the assembly of the tool the casing 6 can just be Vslid through said bore, while a small space will remain between the interior of the sleeve 107 and the inwardly extending portion of the casing 6. When first assembling the driving tool, a spring ring 111 is placed into the groove 109. The ends of the spring ring 111 are spaced from each other by a distance 112 of such magnitude that the ring can be compressed so that it will entirely fit into the groove 109 without the edges of said ring protruding beyond the outer edges of groove 109. The ring 111 is then held in this position by an appropriate tool such as a pair of pliers and the fiange 110 is slipped over the spring ring 111. As soon as the flange 110 has passed beyond the spring ring 111, the latter will due to its elasticity spring back and expand so that it will rest against the inner wall of the sleeve 107 but will still extend into the annular groove 109. It will be clear that once being assembled, a withdrawal of the sleeve 107 `from -the casing 108 is prevented by the spring ring 111 and, inasmuch as the spring ring is not any longer accessible from the outside, a separation of the parts 107 and 108 is impossible without destroying either one of them.

Connected to the casing 6 in any convenient manner is a leaf spring 114 the lower end of which has connected thereto a hook-shaped finger 113 which is accessible from the outside through a slot 108:1 in the casing 6. The finger-113 is by means of the spring 114 continuously urged into the position it occupies in Fig. 4. As will be seen from the drawing, in this position the finger 113 is in thepath ofthe upwardmovement of sleeve 107 and thus prevents the sleeve 107 from being moved in the direction of the arrow Z. 41n normal operation, when driving tool is held in firing position in which the plate 106 contacts the area into which the stud or nail is to be driven, the finger 113 serves'as` abutment for the sleeve 107 and thus prevents a withdrawalof the plate 106 from the area into which the stud is to Vbedriven.

lf it is desired to place kthe stud or nail accurately, the plates 101 and l106 can be temporarily withdrawn from their forward position so as to give a clear view of the proper loca-tion 'of the area,I thus `permitting exact aimingjof the tool. This is accomplished by merely pressing the finger 113 inwardly and pulling the sleeve 107 back over said inwardly pressed finger 113. For reasons of safety, firing of the driving tool in this position of the sleeve 107 is positively prevented, because the nger 113 is provided with an interior nose 116 which, when Y the linger 113 is pressed inwardly, engages an annular groove .11S of the lower portion 104 of barrel 1, thereby blocking any relative displacement of the casing 6, as long as the fsleeve 107 is partially slipped over the finger .113, `i.e. as long as the plates 101 and 106 have been withdrawn from said area. Thus, the tool cannot befired during the aiming when the plates 101 and 106 are withdrawn. After lthe tool has been properly aimed and placed against the surface to be penetrated by the stud or nail at the exact point, .the sleeve 107 is released for return of the plates 101 and 106 to the forward position .shown in Figs. l and 4 under the action of spring 118 within said sleeve. The tool can now be fired.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a protective plate connection which is somewhat modified over that of Fig. 4. Also in this instance, the protective plate must be in its proper protective'position when the tool is being fired. To this end, the lower portion`104' ofthe barrel is provided with a groove 61, while the casing 6? is provided with a passage 63. Furthermore, the plate 103 .has connected thereto a sleeve 107 slidably mounted von casing 6 and provided with a groove 62. A ball 64 is located in passage 63. The arrangement is such that the passage 63 together with groove 61 can fully accommodate ball 64. Similarly, passage 63 together with groove 62 can fully accommodate ball 64. Thus it will be seen from Fig. 5 that ,when the protective plate 103 is withdrawn from the wall portion into which a stud is to be driven, ball 64 has entered groove .61 of barrel portion 104 while still extending into passage 63 of casing 6'.v Consequently, casingr 6 is locked, i.e. is prevented from being moved into firngzposition. If, however, sleeve 107(V is moved downwardly so that groove 62 will be in alignment with passagel63, ball 64 can leave groove. 61 and aportion of ball 64 will then enterv groove 62, thereby coupling casing 6' and sleeve y107 to each other. Consequently, when casing 6.' is moved downwardly, plate 103 is automatically taken along and moved into its protective position.

It is, ofcourse, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular constructionsr shown Vin the drawings but also lcomprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

i What I claim is:

l. In -a safety arrangement for-an explosive power operatable driving tool having a reciprocable-casing and abarrel mounted therein, said casingA being movable from an ineffective position; into a position for driving studs,

nails, and the likeinto walls, plates' and .the.lilre, the combination of a manually operable V:sleeve slidably mounted'on said casing, abutment means carried by said casingk and movable into the pathof said sleeve,v and yielding means continuously. urging said `abutment .means into the path of said sleeve, said abutment means .being manually movable out of the path ofsaid sleeve, said barrel being provided with an annular groove, and said abutment means being arranged to engage said groove in respouse to its movement out of the path of said sleeve to thereby lock said casing.

2. ln a driving tool having a casing and being operable to drive studs, nails, and the like into walls, plates, and the like, the combination of: a barrel mounted in said casing, said casing being movable relative to the barrel from a normal position into a second position and being provided with a circular groove, a sleeve surrounding a portion of said casing and being manually displacable thereon, spring ring means mounted in said circular groove and non-detachably interconnecting said sleeve and said casing While allowing movement of said sleeve on said casing, plate means iXedly connected to said sleeve and having a passage therethrough for said barrel, and control means carried by said casing and operable selectively to block movement of said sleeve relative to said casing while allowing movement of said casing or to block movement of said casing relative to said barrel while allowing movement of said sleeve.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Temple Jan. 18, 1921 Bradbury Sept. 25, 1923 Temple Sept. 3, 1940 Temple Dec. l2, 1950 Meyers Nov. 27, 1951 Walker July 21, 1953 Magnuson May 1l, 1954 Erickson June 1, 1954 Catlin et al. Feb. l, 1955 Bumiller Jan. 24, 1956 Davidson et al May 8, 1956 Boroughton et al Dec. 11, 1956 Evans et al. Aug. 6, 1957 Kopf Sept. 2, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS Belgium Jan. 31, 1950 Great Britain Dec. 8, 1954 

